Ezekiel 24
1 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this selfsame day; the king of Babylon drew close to Jerusalem this selfsame day.
“Son of man, write down today's date, because this is the day that the king of Babylon started his siege of Jerusalem.
3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, Thus says the lord Jehovah: Set on the caldron. Set it on, and also pour water into it.
Then repeat the following parable to these rebellious people. Tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Get a pot and set it on the fire. Pour in some water.
4 Gather the pieces of it into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
Fill it with some good cuts of meat from the thigh and the shoulder. Put in the best bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile of wood for the bones under the caldron. Make it boil well, yea, let the bones of it be boiled in the midst of it.
Choose the best animal from the flock. Pile up the fuel underneath it. Get it boiling and cook the bones in it.
6 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city, to the caldron whose rust is therein, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece. No lot has fallen upon it.
So this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the city of that has shed so much blood! It is symbolized by the rusted pot, whose rust can't be cleaned off. Take out the meat bit by bit as it comes—don't choose which piece.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her. She set it upon the bare rock. She did not pour it upon the ground to cover it with dust.
For the blood she shed is still inside the city. She shed it openly on bare rock—she didn't even spill it on the ground and cover it up with dirt.
8 That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered.
In my anger and to punish, I have spilled her blood openly on bare rock, so it wouldn't be covered up.
9 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.
So this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the city of that has shed so much blood. I will also pile up a large heap of firewood.
10 Heap on the wood; make the fire hot. Boil the flesh well, and make the broth thick. And let the bones be burned.
Put on plenty of wood and light the fire. Make sure the meat is well cooked and add spices. Burn the bones.
11 Then set it empty upon the coals of it, that it may be hot, and the brass of it may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
Then put the empty pot back on the burning coals until it's hot and the copper metal glows. This will melt the dirt inside it and get rid of the rust.
12 She has wearied herself with toil, yet her great scum does not go forth out of her, her scum by fire.
So far it's been impossible to clean it —even fire couldn't burn out all its rust.
13 In thy filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed thee and thou were not cleansed, thou shall not be cleansed from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my wrath toward thee to rest.
Because of your immorality you had made yourself unclean and I tried to clean you, but you refused to let me clean away your filth. So now you won't be pure again until I've finished being angry with you.
14 I, Jehovah, have spoken it. It shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will not go back. I will neither spare, nor will I relent. According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, they shall judge thee, says the lord Jehovah.
I, the Lord, have spoken. The time is soon coming when I will do what I say. I won't change my mind or show pity, I won't stop. I will judge you by your attitude and actions, declares the Lord God.”
15 Also the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
16 Son of man, behold, I take the desire of thine eyes away from thee with a stroke. Yet thou shall neither mourn nor weep. Neither shall thy tears run down.
“Son of man, look, I'm about to take away the one you love the most. She will die. But you must not mourn or weep. Don't cry any tears.
17 Sigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind thy headdress upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet. And do not cover thy lips, and do not eat the bread of men.
Mourn in silence. Don't have any rituals for the dead. Dress normally—have your turban on and put your sandals on your feet. Don't veil your face and don't eat the bread used by mourners.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded.
I talked to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did as I'd been told.
19 And the people said to me, Will thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou do so?
The people asked me, “What are you doing? Aren't you going to explain to us what this means?”
20 Then I said to them, The word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
So I told them, “A message from the Lord came to me, saying:
21 Speak to the house of Israel, Thus says the lord Jehovah: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul has compassion. And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.
Tell the people of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: I am about to make my sanctuary unclean, this place you're so proud of that you think gives you power, the place you love so much, the place that makes you happy. Your sons and daughters that you left behind will be killed by the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done. Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
Then you'll do what I did. You won't veil your face or eat the bread used by mourners.
23 And your coverings shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. Ye shall not mourn nor weep, but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.
You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You won't mourn or weep, but you will die inside because of your sins, and you will groan to one another.
24 Thus Ezekiel shall be to you a sign, according to all that he has done ye shall do. When this comes, then ye shall know that I am the lord Jehovah.
In this way Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he did. When this happens, then you will know that I am the Lord God.
25 And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that upon which they set their heart-their sons and their daughters-
You, son of man, should know that when I destroy their fortress that is their pride and joy, the place they looked to for comfort and happiness —and their sons and daughters too—
26 that in that day he who escapes shall come to thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
when that happens someone who managed to get away will come and give you the news.
27 In that day thy mouth shall be opened to him who is escaped, and thou shall speak, and no more be mute. So thou shall be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
On that day you will be able to speak; you won't be mute any longer. This is how you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”
